Comparison of the Experimental Performance of Round and Flat Tube Automobile Radiators for Various Coolants

Year 2020, Volume: 23 Issue: 4, 1121 - 1130, 01.12.2020

Erkan Keklik Murat Hoşöz

https://doi.org/10.2339/politeknik.555878

Cited By: 1

Abstract

A
radiator test system was developed to test the heat transfer performance of automobile
radiators for various engine coolants. The system was made up from a
circulation pump, coolant reservoir, axial fan, electric heaters, PLC
controlled drivers and instruments for various mechanical measurements along
with the tested radiators. Two different radiators, namely round and flat tube
ones, and four different engine coolants, namely water, ethylene glycol, their
50/50 mixture and a commercial heat transfer oil, were tested. The experimental
heat dissipation rates of the radiators were evaluated under a broad range of
operating conditions. The air speed was changed between 2 and 4 m s^-1,
the coolant flow rate was varied between 0.1 and 0.3 l s^-1, and the
air temperature at the inlets of the radiators was changed between 25 and 35
°C, while the coolant temperature was fixed at 90 °C in all tests. The flat
tube radiator dissipated on average 4.8% more heat than the circular tube one
for water coolant, while it rejected on average 66.4% more heat than the
circular tube one for ethylene glycol. Furthermore, when the heat transfer oil
was used as coolant, the flat tube radiator dissipated on average 101.6% more
heat than the circular tube one. 

Keywords

Engine cooling, radiator, coolant, automobile, ethylene glycol

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